Provides that in any jurisdiction in which a party is eligible under local law for free legal counsel, if such party has in good faith attempted to secure such counsel and is unable to obtain counsel through no fault of their own, the court shall adjourn the trial of the issue for consecutive periods of not less than fourteen days each until the party is able to secure counsel.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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9936
IN SENATE
April 16, 2026
___________
Introduced by Sen. KRUEGER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Housing, Construction and
Community Development
AN ACT to amend the real property actions and proceedings law, in
relation to adjournments relating to right to counsel
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 745 of the real property actions
2 and proceedings law, as amended by section 17 of part M of chapter 36 of
3 the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
4 1. (a) Where triable issues of fact are raised, they shall be tried by
5 the court unless, at the time the petition is noticed to be heard, a
6 party demands a trial by jury, in which case trial shall be by jury. At
7 the time when issue is joined the court, at the request of either party
8 shall adjourn the trial of the issue, not less than fourteen days,
9 except by consent of all parties. A party's second or subsequent request
10 for adjournment, except as provided by paragraph (b) of this subdivi-
11 sion, shall be granted in the court's sole discretion.
12 (b) In any jurisdiction in which a party may be eligible under local
13 law for free legal counsel, the court shall notify such party orally of
14 their ability to obtain free legal counsel pursuant to local law, and,
15 if such party elects to obtain, the court shall adjourn the trial for
16 not less than thirty days for such party to retain and consult counsel
17 and shall grant such further adjournments for not less than thirty days
18 each as are necessary for such party to retain and consult counsel.
19 § 2. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 2 of section 745 of the real proper-
20 ty actions and proceedings law, as amended by section 17 of part M of
21 chapter 36 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
22 (a) In a summary proceeding upon the second of two adjournments grant-
23 ed solely at the request of the respondent, or, upon the sixtieth day
24 after the first appearance of the parties in court less any days that
25 the proceeding has been adjourned upon the request of the petitioner,
26 counting only days attributable to adjournment requests made solely at
27 the request of the respondent and not counting an initial adjournment
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04669-01-5
S. 9936 2
1 requested by a respondent unrepresented by counsel for the purpose of
2 securing counsel, whichever occurs sooner, the court may, upon consider-
3 ation of the equities, direct that the respondent, upon a motion on
4 notice made by the petitioner, deposit with the court sums of rent or
5 use and occupancy that shall accrue subsequent to the date of the
6 court's order, which may be established without the use of expert testi-
7 mony. The court shall not order deposit or payment of use and occupancy
8 where the respondent can establish, to the satisfaction of the court
9 that respondent has properly interposed one of the following defenses or
10 established the following grounds:
11 (i) the petitioner is not a proper party to the proceeding pursuant to
12 section seven hundred twenty-one of this article; or
13 (ii) (A) actual eviction, or (B) actual partial eviction, or (C)
14 constructive eviction; and respondent has quit the premises; or
15 (iii) a defense pursuant to section one hundred forty-three-b of the
16 social services law; or
17 (iv) a defense based upon the existence of hazardous or immediately
18 hazardous violations of the housing maintenance code in the subject
19 apartment or common areas; or
20 (v) a colorable defense of rent overcharge; or
21 (vi) a defense that the unit is in violation of the building's certif-
22 icate of occupancy or is otherwise illegal under the multiple dwelling
23 law or the New York city housing maintenance code; or
24 (vii) the court lacks personal jurisdiction over the respondent.
25 Two adjournments shall not include an adjournment requested by a
26 respondent unrepresented by counsel for the purpose of securing counsel
27 made on a return date of the proceeding, including an adjournment pursu-
28 ant to paragraph (b) of subdivision one of this section. Such rent or
29 use and occupancy sums shall be deposited with the clerk of the court or
30 paid to such other person or entity, including the petitioner or an
31 agent designated by the division of housing and community renewal, as
32 the court shall direct or shall be expended for such emergency repairs
33 as the court shall approve.
34 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to actions
35 and proceedings pending on and after such date.
